Did Sheldon Adelson vote for Marco Rubio?

GOP megadonor Sheldon Adelson may have made a choice in 2016 by picking Marco Rubio over Ted Cruz in the Republican presidential primary. 

According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, Adelson checked a box on the lower third of his ballot – where the names Marco Rubio, Rick Santorum and Donald Trump appeared – in the Nevada Caucus Tuesday night.

Adelson did not reveal his choice to the reporters surrounding him. “I’m voting for myself,” he joked, according to the report.

Sheldon adelson voting in caucus pic.twitter.com/sovkMNIvbZ

— Alexandra Berzon (@AlexandraBerzon) February 24, 2016

His wife Miriam indicated she voted for Cruz – based on reports that she adores the Texas Senator. “God knows who I like,” she told reporters.

Since last summer, Rubio and Cruz became the leading favorites to win the ‘Adelson primary’, after Scott Walker dropped out of the race, and Jeb Bush failed to prevent his foreign policy advisor, James Baker, from delivering a keynote speech at J Street’s annual gala. Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump also sought Adelson’s support and at some point.

All along, Sheldon was reportedly leaning towards Rubio, while Miriam considered Cruz as her favorite choice for president. On Monday, Rubio told reporters he speaks regularly with Adelson but did not plan to meet with him during his Nevada campaign swing. “We talk to him quite a bit on the phone and different things like that,” Rubio said. “I won’t see him tonight or tomorrow, but we’ve got a longstanding relationship and friendship. And I’m sure we’ll continue to communicate. He’s interested in politics beyond southern Nevada.”

But despite the anticipation that he may pull out a checkbook and start writing some checks in support of an alternative to Trump, whom he doesn’t trust on Israel, Adelson has held back from publicly endorsing one of the two junior Senators.

A report by Politico on Tuesday indicated that Adelson may very well be holding off his endorsement until a nominee is picked. A source close to Adelson was quoted as saying to Politico, “Right now everything is negative, and he doesn’t want to be involved in that. That’s the lesson of 2012, when his money was spent attacking Romney. He’s not interested in attacking any Republicans, no matter who they are.”